Abstract This perspective addresses the nature of the past and current relationships between the ecological and biogeographical regionalization of plants and plant communities. It uses four examples ...(two related to continental scale and two related to regional/local scale) to document the cases of cross‐pollination between both approaches in the past and the need for concerted use of both ecological and distributional data in formulating robust regional spatial classification systems of biotic assemblages.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan were connected to the Shimane Peninsula during the glacial period. The vertical distribution of forest vegetation is unclear and glacial relict tree species might ...exist. To clarify the characteristics of the tree species composition of the Oki Islands, we compared the tree species compositions of the Oki Islands with those of the Tsushima Islands, which were connected to Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula in the Middle Pleistocene, and Sado Island, which has been a remote island since the Middle Pleistocene. We identified 272 taxa on the Oki Islands, 329 on the Tsushima Islands, and 313 on Sado Island. The Oki Islands are characterized by the smallest area and the fewest tree taxa. The Tsushima Islands, located in the south, had more continental and southern taxa, while Sado Island, located in the north, had more northern taxa. The Oki Islands, located in between, had many taxa in common with both islands and the taller trees of deciduous oaks and evergreen Lauraceae.
Biogeographical studies are considered effective for investigations on macroecology and evolution, as well as for delineating patterns of endemism and identifying the key drivers influencing the ...historical distribution of species. Clustering techniques, based on environmental datasets and distribution of endemic species, have been largely used in biogeography and for the definition of endemic-rich regions where conservation actions should be implemented. Despite several earlier studies have dealt with the biogeographical territories in Egypt, none of them have provided a replicable method to support such regionalisation. We proposed a two-step procedure for the biogeographical regionalisation of Egypt consisting in (1) the definition of environmental clusters (based on 24 climatic, three topographic, two soil organic carbon content and pH, and four habitat heterogeneity variables) by using the k-nearest neighbours algorithm and (2) the spatial clustering of such clusters according to the distribution of 140 endemic vascular plants. The hierarchical clustering and indicator values analyses, based on the presence-absence matrix of endemic taxa in each cluster were performed to define two cut-off levels of biogeographical sectors and subsectors. A total of six sectors and nine subsectors were identified. Climatic-related variables, elevation and soil organic carbon were the most important determinants for environmental clustering of Egypt. The highest endemic richness was recorded in the Marioutico-Arishian (71 species), Sinaico-Arabian (62 species) and Nilotic (16 species) sectors, and in Sinaic (54 species), Arishian (45 species) and Marioutic (40 species) subsectors. Nonetheless, the most protected sectors were Elbanian and Suezian (62.73 and 29.05%, respectively) while the lowest sectors were Nilotic and Marioutico-Arishian (9.86 and 13.26%, respectively). The already established protected areas in Egypt are not sufficient for conserving the representation of the identified endemic rich plant sectors. This two-step procedure confirms the usefulness of environmental attributes together with the spatial distribution of endemic vascular plants to define the biogeographical units in Egypt. Our regionalisation method could be replicated for other species’ groups, with the ultimate goal of integration all species of interest in a single biogeographical system. Furthermore, the presented regionalisation will help to identify weaknesses in current protection actions and to understand biogeographical processes.
•The biogeography of Egypt according to endemic vascular plants is proposed.•Climate, elevation and soil organic carbon are important for clustering of Egypt.•The biogeographical scheme includes six sectors and nine subsectors.•The protected areas in Egypt are not sufficient for conserving endemic plants.•Our study provides a simple and replicable method to cluster biogeographic areas.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Abstract
The Miocene convergence of the Sunda shelf, Sahul shelf and Wallacea facilitated the exchange of previously isolated floras across the Sunda–Sahul Convergence Zone (SSCZ). The SSCZ is a ...hotspot of biogeographical research; however, phytogeographical patterns across the region remain poorly understood. We conducted multivariate analysis on a comprehensive species checklist of SSCZ vascular plants to quantify the extent of exchange, characterize phytogeographical patterns and investigate their abiotic drivers. We found that Lydekker’s and Wallace’s Lines are not reflected in floristic composition at any taxonomic level, with 46% of genera distributed across these biogeographical lines. In contrast, environment is significantly correlated with floristic composition, with annual rainfall and seasonality being the strongest correlates. Mainland Asia, Borneo, the Philippines, New Guinea and Australia were major routes of exchange throughout the Cenozoic, possibly because these areas have been persistent landmasses throughout the entire period of convergence. We conclude that Sunda–Sahul floristic exchange has substantially influenced the assembly of the regional flora and that modern phytogeographical patterns have been influenced more by environmental variables and available landmass (i.e. establishment conditions) than by putative barriers to movement such as Wallace’s and Lydekker’s Lines (i.e. vagility).
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
A quality arborization in cities and, mainly, in public places destined for entertainment, such as squares, is indispensable for the well-being of the population, besides, to contribute to the ...aesthetic enhance of the environment. Thus, this work aimed to analyze the phytosanitary nature of tree vegetation in two squares, Brazil square and square of Estrada 8, located in the municipality of Belterra, in the west part of the state of Pará. The number of individuals found at Brazil square was 56, while at square of Estrada 8, it was 21. According to the results, 61% of crowns of the first square, and around 70% in the second one, were in good health. The tree stems in the two squares did not show any apparent problem, the values of sanity for them were 67%, and 60%, respectively. Concerning the root situation, about 83% of the individuals analyzed at Brazil square had no problems, only one individual from Ipê pointed to rot in their roots. However, at the square of Estrada 8, about 79% had no damaged roots. In Brazil square, 67% of the species are regularly pruned, although, the ficus trees showed a need for removal, indicating 4% of the individuals with severe phytosanitary problems with termite attack. At square of Estrada 8, it is necessary to remove 38% of individuals, followed by 35% of pruning, replacement by 6% and only 21% of arboreal individuals are in an adequate situation for urban squares.
The structure of lauraceous fossil woods from the middle Miocene deposits of the Dajie Formation of Ninger County, Yunnan Province, China has been studied. The occurrence of wide (> 7 seriate) rays ...in combination with the presence of scalariform perforation plates, the oil/mucilage cells in rays, axial parenchyma and among fibers as well as some other traits allow us to attribute the fossil woods to the extant genus Cryptocarya. We describe the woods as a new species C. latiradiata R. Zhang, T. Su & A. A. Oskolski sp. nov. (Lauraceae). This is an important improvement in the fossil record of Cryptocarya showing that this genus was widely ranged across southern China in the middle Miocene. The occurrence of the fossil woods of such termophyllous genus as Cryptocarya in the Dajie Formation suggests that this middle Miocene climate in southern Yunnan was frostless. This result is consistent with other evidence for the warm environment caused by complex topographic structures in this region since the middle Miocene linked to the successive uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and the Ailao Mountains. Particularly, it suggests that the Ailao Mountains in the middle Miocene were high enough to weaken the influence of the Asian Winter Monsoon on the territory of Yunnan.
•The second pre-Quaternary macrofossil record of Cryptocarya is reported.•The new species of Cryptocarya is described from the middle Miocene of Yunnan.•Cryptocarya was widely ranged across southern China in the middle Miocene.•The middle Miocene climate in southern Yunnan was frostless.•The Ailao Mountains weakened the influence of the monsoon in the middle Miocene.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The moss Exobryum fragilicuspis (Broth.) R.H.Zander is reported from the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada, in Jasper National Park. The species is synonymous with several previously recognized ...taxa, including Didymodon fragilicuspis Broth., Didymodon gaochienii B.C.Tan & Y.Jia, Didymodon murrayae Otnyukova, and Vinealobryum murrayae (Otnyukova) R.H.Zander. Exobryum fragilicuspis is distinctive in having specialized caducous propagules with barrel-shaped segments at the leaf apices. These detach readily and cause the apices of developed leaves to appear broken. Despite these distinctive features, the species is rarely reported in North America, where it was previously known from three sites in Alaska and British Columbia. The collection from Alberta is the most recent in 30 years in North America, and provides new insights into the species' distribution and ecology. Features of Exobryum fragilicuspis are compared to other related species from North America.
• Premise of the study: Noncoding chloroplast DNA (NC-cpDNA) sequences are the staple data source of low-level phylogeographic and phylogenetic studies of angiosperms. We followed up on previous ...papers (tortoise and hare II and III) that sought to identify the most consistently variable regions of NC-cpDNA. We used an exhaustive literature review and newly available whole plastome data to assess applicability of previous conclusions at low taxonomic levels.• Methods: We aligned complete plastomes of 25 species pairs from across angiosperms, comparing the number of genetic differences found in 107 NC-cpDNA regions and matK. We surveyed Web of Science for the plant phylogeographic literature between 2007 and 2013 to assess how NC-cpDNA has been used at the intraspecific level.• Key results: Several regions are consistently the most variable across angiosperm lineages: ndhF-rpl32, rpl32-trnL(UAG), ndhC-trnV(UAC), 5′rps16-trnQ(UUG), psbE-petL, trnT(GGU)-psbD, petA-psbJ, and rpl16 intron. However, there is no universally best region. The average number of regions applied to low-level studies is ∼2.5, which may be too little to access the full discriminating power of this genome.• Conclusions: Plastome sequences have been used successfully at lower and lower taxonomic levels. Our findings corroborate earlier works, suggesting that there are regions that are most likely to be the most variable. However, while NC-cpDNA sequences are commonly used in plant phylogeographic studies, few of the most variable regions are applied in that context. Furthermore, it appears that in most studies too few NC-cpDNAs are used to access the discriminating power of the cpDNA genome.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The annotated list of hepatics of Barents Island (Svalbard archipelago) was compiled based on the collections by Savchenko, literature data and Arne Frisvoll’s collection in TRH. A total of 35 ...species, three subspecies and four varieties are recorded for Barents Island. Fifteen taxa are listed as new for Barents Island and four taxa are listed as new for Svalbard, including Lophozia silvicola, Lophozia subapiculata, Preissia quadrata subsp. hyperborea and Lophoziopsis excisa var. elegans. A new combination Trilophozia quinquedentata var. turgida is made. Annotations to the species include distribution, description of habitats, and some morphological characteristics of the studied specimens. Peculiarities of the hepatic flora of the island and the distribution in Svalbard are discussed.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This paper focuses on the relationship between Alexander von Humboldt, the famous German explorer-naturalist and Filippo Parlatore, botanist from Palermo (Sicily, Italy) in the field of botanical ...geography. Our considerations are based on three letters written by Humboldt to Parlatore in May 1851 and two letters with attachments written by Parlatore in answer to Humboldt in May 1851 and June 1852. The former are preserved in the Biblioteca comunale di Palermo (Palermo City Library) and the latter in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Berlin State Library). On reading the correspondence it can be inferred how, on the one hand, Humboldt asked Parlatore for verification on some important questions of botanical geography that he intended to cover in the second part (never published) of volume five of his Kosmos, and how, on the other hand, Parlatore diverged in his answers from Humboldt’s intent to search for universal laws to explain the distribution of plants on the planet. In fact, Parlatore was engaging in new lines of research, which, though stemming from Humboldt, were moving towards a modern twodimensional interpretation of natural plant communities according to which vegetation and flora, though interacting, are distinct realities and require different methods of study. The paper includes a portrait of Parlatore and one of Humboldt, a taxonomic table of the plants mentioned by the two scientists in their correspondence and illustrations of a selection of the same plants.
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